Misery Has Company
by PJKClover
Summary: The war is over. Voldemort is gone. Ron and Hermione are married. And yet, will it work out? With Draco in the picture as well? This is my first story. Hope you like it! Story's better than the summary I swear!
1. Tears of a Lion

I

She stood up in anger and despair.

She couldn't take it anymore! _I mean, I can't change who I am… Why can't he just accept me? _She didn't mean for it, but a tear escaped from the corner of her eye. The first tear in years, ever since the war, a single tear had never been shed. But now, every hurt, every pain, went flowing out continuously.

_This is ridiculous, _she thought, wiping away the flowing tears furiously. _I can't believe I actually thought we could work this out. I can't believe I, Hermione Jean Granger, made the same mistake of thinking that I could live a happy life with Ronald Bilius Weasley! _After graduating from Hogwarts, she went and applied as an auror, thankfully she was accepted, how could she not with the grades she graduated with? Harry and Ron became aurors as well, and they became partners. After 3 years of dating, Ron finally got the courage to ask her to marry him. Before that there had been dozens of fights. And dozens of breaking up. And more fights. And more breaking up. It was practically a cycle. That's why, Harry and Ginny were shocked when they announced that they were getting married.

"WHAT?!", the Potters had exclaimed. Harry had proposed to Ginny as soon as she graduated. And they had gotten married a few weeks after.

"You heard us the first time, why so shocked?", Ron asked, his voice laced with annoyance. "Yeah," Hermione agreed, "you guys seem so shocked. Is there a problem?"

As soon as those words escaped her lips, Hermione knew very well why Harry and Ginny were so surprised. Within their three years of dating, Ginny saw firsthand what a mess Hermione was then. On more than one occasion,Hermione would apparate to her flat in tears and ask Ginny to come over. Ginny would end up consoling Hermione, saying that maybe Ron just wasn't right for her and that she'll find someone who will bring her tears of joy, not tears of sadness. And Harry would visit the next day saying almost that same thing Ginny had, that if Ron truly loved her, he would not be causing her no end of grief. So of course both of them were shocked down to their core when they heard Hermione and Ron say they were getting married.

"Well," Ron pestered, "why so surprised?"

"Nothing." Harry hastily replied. Ron looked at him suspiciously.

"Nothing Ron, Hermione, we're just really happy for you." Ginny said. But after saying that, she gave Hermione a strange look and wondered if her best friend knew what she was doing.

"Since that's settled," Hermione said, "Ginny, I would love for you to be my maid of honor just like I was yours."

"Oh, Hermione!" Ginny exulted, "I'd love to!"

"And that reminds me," Ron said, "Harry, I'd like you to be my best man.

"Mate, you know I'd love to." Harry said smiling.

After that, the boys once again started talking about Quidditch. While Ginny and Hermione escaped to the large kitchen of the Potters. Ginny immediately started asking Hermione…

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BLOODY MIND HERMIONE?!" Ginny practically yelled.

"No, actually Ginny." Hermione calmly answered, "I have not lost my mind."

"Then why in Merlin's name did you say yes to my idiotic brother?"

"I – "

"Have you forgotten how many times he has broken your heart?"

"N – "

"How many times you have cried because of him?"  
"Of co – "

"How many times you – "

"NO GINNY!" Hermione exclaimed, "I have not forgotten any of that!"

"Then why?'

"Everyone deserves a second chance Gin. I love him. And he loves me. We will make this work."

Ginny just shook her head and said, "You've given him enough chances. This isn't a second chance 'Mione. This must be his hundredth chance, if not his thousandth. You aren't giving him another chance. You're just being stupid."

_-flashback ends-_

"_We will make this work" _Hermione shook her head and wiped even more tears away. _Ginny was right. I WAS being stupid. _

Just then, her alarm went off. She had woken up much earlier that Ron being slightly drunk, said she must've been excited because she was having an affair with someone from the office. Hermione said he was just being silly and that brought about another early morning fight about being a nag, and no fun and all the usual stuff aimed at Hermione. Ron left after that, leaving her crying on the bedroom floor.

Her shift started at 7 in the morning so her alarm is at 5 and it ended at 9 at night. While Ron's started at 12 noon and ended at 12 midnight. They worked in different places being aurors and fortunately rarely saw each other.

Hermione wiped away her tears and started getting ready. She took a long bath and got dressed up. She decided to wear relatively worn black jeans, a dark green turtleneck, black coat, silver scarf and gray snow boots since it was snowing out. After a breakfast of cereal and yogurt, she left the house to meet up with her auror partner, Draco Malfoy. It was an unspoken rule that you always have to arrive to work with your partner. And she was always a bit surprised that Draco chose to become an auror. Since they became partners, they also became good friends. That also improved relations with Harry and Ginny. Harry and Draco actually started to get along and eventually became good friends. Ginny also started to like Draco and become friends. Ron however, being close-minded, was still rather hostile to Draco even though Draco was being cordial to him. Leaving them on not-so-good terms.

"Good morning Princess", a smiling Draco greeted Hermione. He called her that because back at Hogwarts she was known as the Gryffindor Princess.

"Good morning dragon" Hermione said, trying to match his smile but failing to. Draco noticed that her eyes were tinged with red and that there were tear stains on her face.

"What happened 'Mione?" Draco asked, his voice full of concern. "Another fight?" He said knowingly.

"I… I don't really want to talk about it right now Drake…" Hermione told him.

"Fine… How about you tell me over lunch? My treat?"  
Hermione gave him a half-hearted smile "Sure Draco. At lunch. We better get going though. We'll be late."

Draco looked at his watch and winced "You're right. Let's go."


	2. Office Day Begins

II

Once Draco and Hermione arrived at the Ministry of Magic, they were greeted with the usual hustle and bustle of the many witches and wizards going in and out of the Ministry, and the sheer amount of paper airplanes flying around delivering the mail.

As they finally arrived at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, they immediately went to their supervisor for the day's assignments, Ms. Taylor Hathaway, an American witch in her late 30s with black hair almost always in a ponytail, steel gray eyes, and exquisite beauty. Many men have tried to woo the lovely witch and all have failed, those under her say that this tough woman's first love was the law. Making her the perfect supervisor.

"Ms. Hathaway –" Hermione began

Their busy supervisor looked up from the many papers she was studying and saw them, "Oh! Her– Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy." Taylor and Hermione were close friends despite Taylor being her boss. But, of course in the work place they had to keep it professional, "How may I help you?"

"Ms. Hathaway, we ahh… We came to get our assignments for today."

"Oh yes! Of course! Pardon me, it's just that ever since five of our aurors were killed, I've just been swamped with work!"

Draco and Hermione merely nodded and looking around their boss' usually spotless office saw what she was talking about. On her normally organized desk were stacks of papers and on the floor the same. And as she was about to give them their assignments, an owl with a letter in its beak and two paper airplanes entered through an open window. Taylor took the letter from the owl's beak and shooed it out and tossed to letter to a stack of letters on the floor, while the paper planes landed on the desk and unfolded itself adding to the mess of papers she was reading when they entered.

Draco let out a low whistle, "Wow…"

"Don't they understand that we were ambushed and that they were hurt and wanted us to leave them?" Hermione added.

"I tried telling them but they wouldn't listen! I told them that it was their choice and that they died an honourable death, but they just don't understand!"

Taylor sat down and began to rub her temple, she sighed and continued, "Anyway here's your paperwork for the morning and a list of six active Death Eaters under the command of Amycus and Alecto Carrow. You know what to do?"

"Yes ma'am." They replied at the same time.

"Then, you're dismissed."

They took the papers and quickly left, just as another pair went in.

They immediately went on with their daily routine, a cup of coffee each while they take half of the stack from the papers and three each of the names to reaserch.

III


End file.
